Seit Steve Beauchesne von der kanadischen „Beaus All Natural Brewing Company“ 2013 den 1. Februar als „International Gruitday“ ins Leben gerufen hat, fiebern weltweit Gruitbier-Fans dem jährlichen Termin entgegen. 2021 übernahm der Chef der Lahnsteiner Brauerei, Dr. Markus Fohr, das Projekt und hat mit www.gruitday.beer eine lebendige Plattform für Neuigkeiten, Austausch und zum Netzwerken geschaffen. Neu in diesem Jahr: Zum ersten Mal wird die Gruitbier-Brauerei des Jahres gesucht. Brauereien aus der ganzen Welt können sich noch bis zum 30. November 2024 bewerben, entsprechend wechseln auch wir im folgenden Teil ins Englische.

Dr. Markus Fohr, brewing engineer and German Champion of Beersommeliers, is brewing gruitbeer since 2014. His first recipe with sage, peppermint, juniper and some hops won a golden medal at International Craft Beer Award 2015. In 2019 he recreated the recipe now using anise, lemongrass and rosemary – and again some hops – and again won a golden medal in 2020.

36 breweries from 16 different countries

State of the art: 36 breweries out of 16 countries joined the project until March 4th 2024. For the coming up International Gruitday on February 1st 2025 an international jury is ready to award GRUITBEER BREWERY OF THE YEAR 2025 for the first time. So every GRUITERY (gruitbeer brewery) is invited to participate in this competition.

To participate the breweries need to send information according to the application form attached via email fohr@lahnsteiner-brauerei.de until November 30th 2024. The winner will be informed January 15th 2025. Official presentation will be online February 1st 2025 at 7:00 pm german time on facebook https://www.facebook.com/internationalgruitday

Distinct application criteria

This is what the judges will take into consideration:
– Do you have a presentation on www.gruitday.beer? (yes – 10 % – no 0 %)
– Do you produce gruitbeer continually or seasonally? (continually – 10 % – seasonally 0 %).
– Is your gruitbeer commercially available outside the brewery via online shop or distribu-tors? (yes – 10 % no 0 %)
– Which year did you start gruitbeer production? (10 years or more 10 % – 5 to 9 years 5 % – less 0 %).
– What is your gruitbeer recipe: Ingredients, basic gravity, alcohol, kind of fermentation, any additional information you like to offer? (free judging 20 %)
– Which is your individual gruitbeer story? (free judging 20 %)
– Does your marketing present any kind of information about your individual gruitbeer and the history of gruitbeer generally? Please send us a link or information. (free judging 10 %)
– Will you host events concerning International Gruitday 2025? Please send us information about these. (free judging 10 %)

Maximum: 100 %
Please send all necessary information via email to fohr@lahnsteiner-brauerei.de until November 30th 2024 together with:
• Contact data and picture in high resolution of the contact person in your brewery.
• At least one picture in high resolution of your gruitbeer with the label.
• At least one picture in high resolution of your brewery, your staff, your facilities, whatever you like.

Experienced judges from all over the world

The following judges will participate in the contest:

Diego Bernori, Italy
My name is Diego Bernori, I have been in the world of beer since 2001, as a pub manager in the center of Verona (Bierklinik), where there was only beer, nothing else, not even water! The beer was from Schloss-brauerei Au-Hallertau. After I sold the pub I worked as a beer sales manager at a drinks wholesaler. After this experience, since 2008 I have been working as Export Manager for the Schlossbrauerei Au-Hallertau.
In 2009 I became a Biersommelier, the year of the first course open to Italians, then I remained as Stefan Grauvogl’s deputy teacher and to date we have trained 310 Italian Biersommeliers. Since 2022 I have been a Certified Member of the Institute of Masters of beer. My passion is above all the history of beer!

Markus Ernst, Germany
My name is Markus Ernst and I studied Brewing and Beverage Technology in Weihenstephan, Bavaria. In addition to my technical studies, I also completed further training as a beer, tea and water sommelier and since 2019 I have been a Certified Member of the Institute of Masters of Beer. In addition to sensory analysis, I am particularly interested in the history and historical production of beer and try to combine both through my search for traditionally produced beers. I am delighted to be on the jury and to be able to increase interest in the topic of gruit beer outside the active fan scene.

Stephan Hilbrandt, Germany
Stephan Hilbrandt from Bonn has been a passionate hobby brewer for many years. To increase his beer knowledge and improve his sensory skills, he trained as a beer sommelier in 2015. Since then, he has been giving tastings, presenting beer-accompanied menus and helping interested people get started in the world of home brewing. In September 2017, he was awarded the title of „World Champion Sommelier for Beer“. Stephan beat 69 competitors from 15 nations to win the title and was allowed to hold it for two years.

Norbert Schmidl, Germany
My name is Norbert Schmidl from Ingolstadt, Germany, and I am a beer-lover since many years. In my former job as an editor for a daily newspaper I wrote about topics like beer and hops and I still do that now as a free journalist. Since 2008 I am a proved beersommelier and in November 2017 I became – as one of the first three ever – a Certified Member of the Institute of Masters of Beer. I am also a judge at different big beer competitions, for example at World Beer Cup (USA), European Beer Star (Germany), Brazil Beer Cup (Brazil) or KIBA (Korea). Finally I also do lots of beer-tastings for all people who are already interested in the wonderful world of beer or those who want to explore it.

Peter Cartwright, Switzerland
Peter Cartwright, after homebrewing for almost 40 years decided to start his own beer business in 2018 after a year at Sudwerk, a local craft brewery specialising on American beer styles. So for the last 5 years I have been running my own very small brewery near Rapperswil in Switzerland. There I produce English ales, fruit beers, sours and other creative beers. I also have a bottle shop with more than 500 different beers mostly from independent breweries. In 2018 – after the Diplom-Biersommelier training – I joined the Institute of Masters of Beer and since 2023 I am a Certified Member. I am passionate for the „unusual“ beers mostly not following the Reinheitsgebot, for food pairing with beer and l do appreciate all kinds of sour beers very much. Besides that I am always eager to learn more about beer – our fascinating companion.

George “Butch” Heilshorn, USA
George „Butch“ Heilshorn co-founded Earth Eagle Brewings in Portsmouth NH, one of the first breweries in the US to regularly produce gruits. Working with a local forager, he brewed with every edible plant he could get his hands on resulting in a large catalogue of delicious and unique hopless beers. Butch later wrote the book “Against All Hops”, in which he shared recipes, herbal folklore, along with his adventures brewing gruit.

Reini Schenkermeier, Austria
As a connoisseur but not for beer I found a beer from a small brewery by chance 15 years ago. This astonishing experience showed me: There is also beer with good flavour! Two years later I founded a restaurant with brewery. High interest in good taste, in variety of flavours and in tech-nical knowledge about brewing beer led me to join Doemens Academy for a training as Diplom-Biersommelier before.
To go on learning new things I joined the Institute of Masters of Beer in 2014 and became its first Austrian member in 2019. Until 2023 I have also been the one and only Austrian member. Our brewery and restaurant we closed in the end of 2023 in lack of a successor – but I´m still highly interested in tasteful beers!

André Hofer, Italy
He was born on 02.11.1982 in Merano (South Tyrol, Italy). He has been a certified wine sommelier with the AIS since 2006 and successfully completed his beer sommelier diploma at Doemens in Gräfelfing near Munich in December 2016. On 27.09.2019 André competed for the first time with the Italian national team at the Doemens World Championship of Beer Sommeliers at the Grand Hotel Rimini in Rimini/Italy and made it into the top 50. He has held the honorary title of “Certified Member of the Institute of Masters of Beer” since 13.11.2021. To combine wine, beer and water, André decided to take the WSU water sommelier course in March 2023. His main job is in his own family business called Hotel Al-pentirolis**** in Dorf Tirol near Meran. In his free time, he brews various top-fermented beers and organizes beer tastings for beginners and advanced brewers.